On Tuesday, Feb 9, the Judson Rockets (7-3) hosted a sell-out crowd against the Steele Knights (4-8). 

The Rockets are trying to gain their momentum back after losing their last two games.

The Knights opened the game with back to back threes. The Rockets tried to answer back by hitting their own. The two were trading baskets early in the game by hitting their shots at the perimeter. Both teams were playing good defense as they made the other teamwork for every basket. The Knights outrebounded the Rockets in the first. They would end the first quarter with an early seven-point lead 19-26.

The second quarter opened up with Steele causing a turnover and getting an and-1 basket. Judson was able to get the ball back with a steal that would lead to a Rocket basket from junior Treylin Payne. Early in the quarter, the Rockets were getting some defensive stops that would lead to fast breaks. Junior Anarris Brandon was able to cut the lead to three after a slam dunk 27-30. Both teams started to trade baskets late in the quarter. Senior Isaiah Washington scored seven points to keep Judson within two points. The quarter ended with the Knights leading 38-36 heading into halftime.

The Knights opened the 3rd quarter with a quick basket as they got in the paint. Steele has been out-hustling Judson all game by getting a lot of rebounds. For the most part of the game, they had been in control by playing at their own pace. The Rockets tried to keep up with the other team the entire quarter up until the Knights made a huge run late in the third. They scored six straight points off of fastbreaks. The Rockets were unable to answer back as they were down by a double-digit deficit 41-52. The 6-0 run gave the Knights a huge momentum coming into the last quarter.

The fourth quarter started with a defensive stop from the Rockets. Both teams were giving each other pressure, causing some turnovers and forced call timeouts. The two were trading baskets in the paint early in the quarter. The Rockets tried to come back in the game, however, the Knights always had an answer for every Judson basket as they were able to keep a 10 point lead early in the quarter 58-48. Judson then went on to score some big shots off of a break that would cut the lead to single digits. A huge three from sophomore Donovan Gomez cut the lead to just five points 61-56, with five minutes left to play. The Knights would then answer back with their own huge run along with a huge slam that would give them a 12 point lead. With two minutes remaining in the game, the Knights started to waste time as they held their big lead. 

The game ended with the Rockets losing their third straight game 71-81.

Judson is still in the first place but has put themselves in a tight spot for the district title with a 7-4 record. The Rockets will play again on Wednesday, Feb 10, at Samuel Clemens High School to face the Buffaloes.

—-

If there are issues with this article, report it here.